"The Aslan Tribe has a fortress on the mountain, and they constructed it in less than a month?" Ragnar frowned. "How is that even possible?"

"Father, I think magic is involved," Wayne stated. "After all, building a stone fortress made within a month is logically impossible."

Godwin nodded. As a chieftain who had supervised construction projects, he could attest to it. It had taken his tribe five years to build their city from scratch. Constructing a fortress couldn’t have been that much easier. Half a year wouldn’t have been enough, and one month was even more unrealistic.

"Tell me more about this young chieftain of the Aslan Tribe," Godwin said. "What is he like?"

"Leone Frontera is kind, righteous, honorable, and in a sense, terrifying," Zed replied.

Ragnar arched an eyebrow. "Terrifying?"

"Yes," Zed replied. "But not in the way you think. He doesn’t shout nor does he impose his will through fear like most chieftains.

"But when he speaks... people listen. When he commands, people follow. They don’t seem forced at all. And that’s what’s fearsome. They’re willing. Even the Bloodtusk Tribe, who can be considered his enemies, obeyed his orders."

Wayne crossed his arms. "That sounds too good to be true. That guy must be faking it."

"He’s not faking it!" Vlad immediately voiced his opinion. "Leone is actually a good person. He is a great leader, and his people love him."

"Just like me?" Godwin asked.

"...Y-Yes, just like you, father."

"Uh... Why was there a pause in your answer?"

"You’re just imagining it, Father, " Vlad replied hurriedly. "Still, I can tell with certainty that Leone Frontera is the kind of leader that anyone will want to follow. Right, Zed?"

The teenager asked his Protector for support, putting the man on the spot. Yet, in the end, Zed decided to support his Young Lord because it was the truth.

"That he is," Zed stated. "I’ve seen his people. They were all warriors who would rather die than betray him. Not because they fear him... but because they trust him with their lives. The kind of person that even someone like me would want to follow.

"That’s such a high praise coming from you, Zed." Godwin narrowed his eyes. "Now, I’m more curious about this boy. Tianna, have you seen anything in your vision about this Leone Frontera?"

"I did, Father," Tianna replied. "But all I can say is that he isn’t hostile to any of the tribes in the Borderlands. He is also not a spy sent by the Kingdom of Britannia ll to undermine the barbarian tribes."

Godwin leaned back slightly, his expression growing thoughtful.

"Trust is harder to earn than fear," Vlad commented from the side. "I believe I should return to Grimjaw Mountain so I can learn from his example."

"What do you think, Zed?" Godwin asked. "Do you think Leone will be a good influence on Vlad’s growth?"

"If I am being completely honest, then the answer is yes, Master," Zed replied. "I believe the Young Lord will learn many things from him.

"Also, there is one more thing I forgot to mention in my earlier report. Gundar of the Grimhowl Tribe is also fond of him. He even went as far as to offer an alliance between the Grimhowl Tribe and the Aslan Tribe."

Suddenly, the atmosphere inside the room changed completely.

The expressions of Godwin, Ragnar, and Wayne turned serious.

Gundar was a legendary person, even among the barbarians of the Borderlands. Anywhere he went and anything he did were something the high-ranking tribes wished to know at all times.

Godwin, as well as the other chieftains of the high-ranking tribes, offered the great shaman generous benefits in an attempt to recruit him. Yet, he politely turned them all down and remained in the Grimhowl Tribe.

If there was someone many consider as an object of fear and admiration in the Borderlands, it would be none other than Gundar, whom everyone considered as the strongest shaman.

"I genuinely believe there is merit in allowing the Young Lord’s return to Grimjaw Mountain. He will certainly learn more about leading a tribe from Leone," Zed said honestly. "Moreover, he will also have a chance to rub shoulders with the great shaman. It will do us good if Gundar gains a good impression of the Young Lord."

"Hmm..." Godwin started seriously considering this proposal since Gundar was involved.

If Vlad could learn how Leone gained the great shaman’s interest, then letting his youngest son go back to Grimjaw Mountain wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Even Ragnar and Wayne agreed that the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe might be more extraordinary than they gave him credit for.

"Now, only a few questions remain." Wayne smiled faintly. "How will the Darkmane Tribe handle this conflict? Will they wage war against the Aslan Tribe, or would they try to find a compromise? What stance will the other high-ranking tribes take against this rising power?"

"Our scouts have reported that Jafar has personally led the army of the Darkmane Tribe to the camp of the Bloodtusk Tribe. By now, he might be telling them all to evacuate to Troy’s city so that his forces can increase."

"I know what you’re thinking, Brother," Ragnar commented. "However, there’s nothing we can do about it. The Bloodtusk Tribe have always been the subordinate of the Darkmane Tribe. We can’t just go there and drag them here to our own city by force."

Wayne nodded. "That’s why I’m getting more interested in Leone. He single-handedly destroyed the hierarchy of the Borderlands in such a short period of time.

"Aside from that, the scouts have also reported that the Stormhorn Tribe have migrated to Grimjaw Mountain. With this, all the low-ranking tribes are now officially under Leone’s banner. He is now someone the tribes can not ignore, especially since Gundar has extended his hand to form an alliance."

"Do you mean we should also form a good relationship with the Aslan Tribe?" Godwin asked, a playful smile hanging on his lips.

"I think it’s for the best!" Vlad once again spoke his mind. Clearly, he was very eager for the Aslan Tribe and the Warclaw Tribe to become friends. "Sister already confirmed that he doesn’t mean harm to any of us. Also, he isn’t a spy of the Kingdom of Britannia like what the Darkmane Tribe is claiming."

Godwin pondered a bit before shifting his attention to his one and only daughter, Tianna.

"Tianna, what do you think?" Godwin asked. "Should we send your brother to Grimjaw Mountain to learn from the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe, so that we can form a good relationship with him?"

"I believe it is for the best, Father," Tianna replied without hesitation.

She chose her words carefully, and didn’t even mention the most important part that she had seen in her vision.

That the Grimjaw Mountain would become the new Eden of the East.

If this news were to reach her father and the high-ranking tribes, another war would start.

This time, it would be Leone facing off against all the high-ranking tribes of the Borderlands, something Tianna didn’t want to see happen.

Eden was a sacred land to the barbarians.

It held a dungeon where they could gather plenty of resources, which allowed them to face off against the Kingdom of Britannia in the north and the Aurelion Empire of the South.

While the Barbarian King of the Western Lands didn’t really treat them as enemies, they still guarded themselves from any movements coming from them.

On the other hand, the East of the Borderlands were uncharted lands since the Grimjaw Mountain Range blocked off everything from that side.

This boundary allowed the barbarians to focus only on three fronts, which was the north, the west, and the south.

If the East would be declared as a new Eden, then they would not hesitate to send their forces to Grimjaw Mountain and claim that land as their own.

"The rising sun will shine upon the golden lion of the east, who will roar facing the heavens."

"He will build the Eden of the East, and a kingdom shall be born from the wilderness. This kingdom will face many challenges and weather many storms. However, if it endures all of these trials, then it will become the center of the continent."

These were the words that Tianna heard in her vision, and she kept a secret from everyone.

It wasn’t because she wished to betray her father’s trust.

She simply didn’t want the Warclaw Tribe to antagonize the golden lion. If this lion was slain before he could grow, then everything would be fine.

But if it managed to survive, it would bare its fangs against those who had harmed it. It wouldn’t stop until its enemies were dead, and that wasn’t something Tianna wanted to see happen to her people.